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We present spatially resolved, simple stellar population equivalent ages, stellar metallicities, and abundance ratios for 456 massive (⁠|$10.3\lesssim \log (\mathrm{M}_*/\mathrm{M}_\odot)\lesssim 11.8$|⁠) quiescent galaxies at |$0.6\lesssim z\lesssim 1.0$| from the Large Early Galaxy Astrophysics Census, derived using full-spectrum models. Typically, we find flat age and [Mg/Fe] gradients, and negative [Fe/H] gradients, implying iron-rich cores. We also estimate intrinsic [Fe/H] gradients via forward modelling. We examine the observed gradients in three age bins. Younger quiescent galaxies typically have negative [Fe/H] gradients and positive age gradients, possibly indicating a recent central starburst. Additionally, this finding suggests that photometrically measured flat colour gradients in young quiescent galaxies are the result of the positive age and negative metallicity gradients cancelling each other. For older quiescent galaxies, the age gradients become flat and [Fe/H] gradients weaken, though remain negative. Thus, negative colour gradients at older ages are likely driven by metallicity gradients. The diminishing age gradient may result from the starburst fading. Furthermore, the persistence of the [Fe/H] gradients may suggest that the outskirts are simultaneously built up by mergers with lower metallicity satellites. On the other hand, the gradients could be inherited from the star-forming phase, in which case mergers may not be needed to explain our findings. This work illustrates the need for resolved spectroscopy, instead of just photometry, to measure stellar population gradients. Extending these measurements to higher redshift is imperative for understanding how stellar populations in quiescent galaxies are assembled over cosmic time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past year, JWST has uncovered galaxies at record-breaking distances up to z ∼ 13. The JWST UNCOVER (ultra-deep NIRSpec and NIRcam observations before the epoch of reionization) program has obtained ultra-deep multiwavelength NIRCam imaging of the massive galaxy cluster A2744 over ∼45 arcmin2 down to ∼29.5 AB mag. Here, we present a robust ultraviolet (UV) luminosity function derived through lensing clusters at 9 < z < 12. Using comprehensive end-to-end simulations, we account for all lensing effects and systematic uncertainties in deriving both the amplification factors and the effective survey volume. Our results confirm the intriguing excess of UV-bright galaxies (M UV <−20 AB mag) previously reported at z > 9 in recent JWST studies. In particular, a double power-law (DPL) describes better the bright end of the luminosity function compared to the classical Schechter form. The number density of these bright galaxies is 10–100 times larger than theoretical predictions and previous findings based on Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations. Additionally, we measure a star formation rate density of ρSFR = 10−2.64 M⊙ yr−1 Mpc−3 at these redshifts, which is 4–10 times higher than galaxy formation models that assume a constant star formation efficiency. Future wide-area surveys and accurate modelling of lensing-assisted observations will reliably constrain both the bright and the dim end of the UV luminosity function at z > 9, which will provide key benchmarks for galaxy formation models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first study of spatially integrated higher-order stellar kinematics over cosmic time. We use deep rest-frame optical spectroscopy of quiescent galaxies at redshifts z  = 0.05, 0.3, and 0.8 from the SAMI, MAGPI, and LEGA-C surveys to measure the excess kurtosis h 4 of the stellar velocity distribution, the latter parametrized as a Gauss-Hermite series. Conservatively using a redshift-independent cut in stellar mass (⁠|$M_\star = 10^{11}\, \mathrm{M_\odot }$|⁠) and matching the stellar-mass distributions of our samples, we find 7σ evidence of h 4 increasing with cosmic time, from a median value of 0.019 ± 0.002 at z  = 0.8 to 0.059 ± 0.004 at z  = 0.06. Alternatively, we use a physically motivated sample selection based on the mass distribution of the progenitors of local quiescent galaxies as inferred from numerical simulations; in this case, we find 10σ evidence. This evolution suggests that, over the last 7 Gyr, there has been a gradual decrease in the rotation-to-dispersion ratio and an increase in the radial anisotropy of the stellar velocity distribution, qualitatively consistent with accretion of gas-poor satellites. These findings demonstrate that massive galaxies continue to accrete mass and increase their dispersion support after becoming quiescent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first statistical study of spatially integrated non-Gaussian stellar kinematics spanning 7 Gyr in cosmic time. We use deep, rest-frame optical spectroscopy of massive galaxies (stellar mass |$M_\star \gt 10^{10.5} \, \mathrm{M_\odot }$|⁠) at redshifts z = 0.05, 0.3, and 0.8 from the SAMI, MAGPI, and LEGA-C surveys, to measure the excess kurtosis h 4 of the stellar velocity distribution, the latter parametrized as a Gauss–Hermite series. We find that at all redshifts where we have large enough samples, h 4 anticorrelates with the ratio between rotation and dispersion, highlighting the physical connection between these two kinematic observables. In addition, and independently from the anticorrelation with rotation-to-dispersion ratio, we also find a correlation between h 4 and M ⋆, potentially connected to the assembly history of galaxies. In contrast, after controlling for mass, we find no evidence of independent correlation between h 4 and aperture velocity dispersion or galaxy size. These results hold for both star-forming and quiescent galaxies. For quiescent galaxies, h 4 also correlates with projected shape, even after controlling for the rotation-to-dispersion ratio. At any given redshift, star-forming galaxies have lower h 4 compared to quiescent galaxies, highlighting the link between kinematic structure and star-forming activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use deep, spatially resolved spectroscopy from the Large Early Galaxy Astrophysics Census Survey to study radial variations in the stellar population of 17 spectroscopically selected post-starburst (PSB) galaxies. We use spectral fitting to measure two Lick indices, H δA and Fe 4383 , and find that, on average, PSB galaxies have radially decreasing H δA and increasing Fe 4383  profiles. In contrast, a control sample of quiescent, non-PSB galaxies in the same mass range shows outwardly increasing H δA and decreasing Fe 4383 . The observed gradients are weak (≈−0.2 Å/ R e), mainly due to seeing convolution. A two-SSP (simple stellar population) model suggests that intrinsic gradients are as strong as observed in local PSB galaxies (≈−0.8 Å/ R e). We interpret these results in terms of inside-out growth (for the bulk of the quiescent population) versus star formation occurring last in the centre (for PSB galaxies). At z ≈ 0.8, central starbursts are often the result of gas-rich mergers, as evidenced by the high fraction of PSB galaxies with disturbed morphologies and tidal features (40 per cent). Our results provide additional evidence for multiple paths to quiescence: a standard path, associated with inside-out disc formation and with gradually decreasing star formation activity, without fundamental structural transformation, and a fast path, associated with centrally concentrated starbursts, leaving an inverse age gradient and smaller half-light radius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using stellar kinematics measurements,we investigate the growth of massive,quiescent galaxies from z ~ 2 to today. We present X-Shooter spectra from the UV to NIR and dynamical mass measurements of five quiescent massive (>1011 M☉) galaxies at z ~ 2. This triples the sample of z > 1.5 galaxies with well-constrained (σ < 100 km s-1) velocity dispersion measurements. From spectral population synthesis modeling we find that these galaxies have stellar ages that range from 0.5 to 2 Gyr,with no signs of ongoing star formation. We measure velocity dispersions (290-450 km s-1) from stellar absorption lines and find that they are 1.6-2.1 times higher than those of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at the same mass. Sizes are measured using GALFIT from Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 H160 and UDS K-band images. The dynamical masses correspond well to the spectral energy distribution based stellar masses,with dynamical masses that are ~15% higher.We find that M"/Mdyn may decrease slightly with time,which could reflect the increase of the dark matter fraction within an increasing effective radius. We combine different stellar kinematic studies from the literature and examine the structural evolution from z ~2 to z ~0: we confirm that at fixed dynamical mass,the effective radius increases by a factor of ~2.8,and the velocity dispersion decreases by a factor of ~1.7. The mass density within one effective radius decreases by a factor of ~20, while within a fixed physical radius (1 kpc) it decreases only mildly (factor of ~2). When we allow for an evolving mass limit by selecting a population of galaxies at fixed number density,a stronger size growth with time is found (factor of ~4),velocity dispersion decreases by a factor of ~1.4,and interestingly, the mass density within 1 kpc is consistent with no evolution. This finding suggests that massive quiescent galaxies at z ~ 2 grow inside out, consistent with the expectations from minor mergers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the growth of the red sequence through the number density and structural evolution of a sample of young and old quiescent galaxies at 0 < z < 2. The galaxies are selected from the NEWFIRM Medium-Band Survey in the Cosmic Evolution Survey field. We find a large population of massive young recently quenched ("post-starburst") galaxies at z > 1 that are almost non-existent at z < 1; their number density is 5 x 10-5 Mpc-3 at z = 2, whereas it is a factor of 10 less at z = 0.5. The observed number densities of young and old quiescent galaxies at z > 1 is consistent with a simple model in which all old quiescent galaxies were once identified as post-starburst galaxies. We find that the overall population of quiescent galaxies has smaller sizes and slightly more elongated shapes at higher redshift, in agreement with other recent studies. Interestingly, the most recently quenched galaxies at 1 < z < 2 are not larger, and possibly even smaller, than older galaxies at those redshifts. This result is inconsistent with the idea that the evolution of the average size of quiescent galaxies is largely driven by continuous transformations of larger, star-forming galaxies: in that case, the youngest quiescent galaxies would also be the largest. Instead, mergers or other mechanisms appear to be required to explain the size growth of quiescent galaxies from z = 2 to the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]